Porn Lawyer

A new drama series from CBS, “The Defenders,” begins this fall. Billed by CBS as “an irreverent new legal drama about two fiery and charismatic Las Vegas defense attorneys,” the show will star Jerry O’Connell and Jim Belushi. But those actors aren’t who have me interested:

[T]he character that apparently will be responsible for weekly comedic subplots is an attorney who transparently is Clyde DeWitt. In fact, the character is even named “Clyde”, complete with spectacles and Clyde’s trademark hat, and his ongoing story is that of a Vegas porn lawyer who, in the first episode, appears arm-in-arm with a porn star.

“I had no idea that they had plans to write me into this,” said DeWitt, whose character is played by veteran Bruce Jarchow, a fellow Chicago native DeWitt’s age. “After they already had shot the pilot, a handful of writers came in and sat on my office floor for a couple of hours, quizzing about my practice, so they apparently have plans for me to be a recurring bit of comedic relief in this very intense drama.” [The story courtesy of AVN.]

I know Clyde. Not only do I consider him a mentor and one of the sharpest constitutional litigators I’ve ever met or read, I consider him a friend. And yes, he’s hilarious.